Dwight Phillips Jr. kick-started his college career over a few short weeks in the spring of 2025.
The Class of 2024 running back arrived in Athens last summer. He didn’t go through spring practice like many of his freshman peers; instead, he played catch-up once he made it to campus.
Phillips still carved out a gadget role in Georgia’s 2024 offense, registering six carries and scoring a touchdown against Florida. He then used this spring to become a more complete running back heading into his sophomore season.
“His progression has been weight room, develop, grow, protect, protect the ball, get bigger, get stronger,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said. “He needed the weight room really bad when he got here. He’d never really been in a hardcore weightlifting off-season program. You remember, he didn’t get the spring before his freshman year, so his first true developmental off-season was to be here and lift and get after it. And he did those things.”
Phillips has some of the best athletic heritage of any player on the team. His father, Dwight Phillips Sr., won a gold medal in the long jump at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
The elder Phillips helped coach his son on fundamentals when he decided to run track in 10th grade. Phillips stuck with track through the end of high school, which is why he didn’t arrive in Athens until last summer.
Phillips reflected on the touchdown against Florida as a moment that “meant a lot”, especially with how his coaches and teammates believed in him. Still, he knew he had plenty to work on heading into the offseason.
Phillips grinded in the weight room. He made the most of every rep in workouts and spring practice.
That hard work culminated in a breakout season-opening performance last week against Marshall. Phillips led all running backs with 60 yards on just five carries, including a 17-yard touchdown run to cap off Georgia’s first drive.
“I saw my teammates make some incredible blocks,” Phillips said. “Just got me one-on-one with the safety, and I just made a play.”
After the game, Smart referred to Phillips as “one of our bright lights of fall and spring.”
Phillips provides even more playmaking depth to a running back room that, behind starter Nate Frazier, doesn’t have much in the way of a set pecking order. The work ethic of “Peanut” could lead to even more touches as the season gets rolling.
“The great thing about Dwight, Peanut, is that he’s not afraid of the hard work,” Smart said. “He embraces what his weaknesses are, and he’s trying to get better at those.”